Slight Tax Increase In Proposed Rocky Hill Budget

Rocky Hill residents might see an increase in their taxes, find out how much.

ROCKY HILL — Local property taxes would see a modest increase under the 2015-16 town budget recommended by Town Manager Guy Scaife.

The $69.6 million budget, Scaife's first, increases municipal and education operating and capital spending next year by $1 million, or 1.5 percent. Local taxes would provide $60 million of the required revenue. A tax rate of 30.2 mills, an increase of a half-mill from this year's budget, would be required.

A homeowner with an assessment of $200,000 would pay $100 more in taxes next year. The tax increase on a home assessed at $300,000 would be $150.

Scaife, who was hired in September, will introduce the budget publicly at the town council meeting Monday night. The document can be found on the town web site. The council will hold its first budget workshop on Wednesday, April 8.

In the executive summary, Scaife noted that despite a $728,000 increase in fixed costs, spending on municipal operations and capital investment is projected to decrease by 1.2 percent next year with no loss of service to the public. He credited organizational efficiencies, better training of staff and improvements in information technology with making that possible. Two positions in the current budget vacated by retirements — deputy police chief and assistant town clerk — will not be filled.

"The point I want to stress [to taxpayers] is that this is the foundation of a multi-year plan, that we are really smart on how we use those dollars short-term and long term,'' Scaife said Wednesday.

He has not concluded his evaluation of the schools budget, which is projected to increase 3.7 percent next year.

The transfer of $900,000 in school building utility costs from the municipal to schools side of the ledger is one factor in that increase. But Scaife pointed out that, without that added on, the board's requested operating budget contains a 4 percent increase. The continued growth in board health care costs and "the widening divide between the equivalent costs for the municipality on a per person comparison'' is concerning, he said.

Unlike municipal employees, who are covered under a single health plan, school board employees operate under different plans, depending on the bargaining unit. "We all agree" that cost-saving consolidation " would be desirable,'' he said

As Scaife indicated last month, a key aspect of the budget is a request to the council to consider a voter referendum in November to pay for upgrades to the police facility and replace fire department apparatus.

The five-year replacement plan to "right size'' the fire department fleet would reduce the number of ladder trucks, engines and rescue vehicles from 10 to 6 vehicles. An additional support vehicle would also be added. The new, more technologically advanced and equipped apparatus would allow the department to save in maintenance and equipment costs and the number of expensive, next generation air packs that would be required on the vehicles, fire officials say.